Tripping device for ruling-machines.



H. E. LINDBLADH.

TERIPPING DEVICE FOR RULING MACHlNES.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 22, 1913.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

h m] In W a E now- NORRIS Pz'rzns m. PNOYKLLHMO Y wasmlvcmm a. c.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFfQl l.

HARIVION E. LINDBLADH, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO THE LINDBLADH CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETTS.

[DRIPPING DEVICE FOR. RULING-IvIACHIN ES.

Application filed May 22, 1913.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HARMON E. LIND- BLADH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Tripping Device for Ruling-Vlachines, of which the following is a specification.

In ruling machines, as now organized, the control of the lift of the pens for short spaces is imperfect, it being difficult to produce breaks in the ruled lines of less than three quarters of an inch in width for a reasonable rate of advance of the sheets operated upon. This is due to the fact that the lifting cams and like actuating elements employed, if arranged to raise the pens or ruling devices from the work the necessary distance to insure proper clearance, will drag so long under the arm or lever which moves the ruling devices that the lift is unduly eX- tended.

With the improved tripping device herein described the cam or actuating member is used only to initiate the pen-movement, it losing control thereover after the lift of the pen has been accomplished, the restoration or drop of the pens being independent of the cam.

A particular embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a portion of a ruling machine having my in vention applied thereto; Fig. 2 is an en larged vertical sectional detail showing the device just at the point of tripping the pens; Fig. 3 is a similar view after the pens have been released by the tripping member; Fig. 4- is a transverse sectional detall on the line 1 t of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 2.

Similar characters of reference designate like parts in all the figures of the drawing.

The numeral 10 indicates a portion of the frame of a ruling machine, at one extrem ty of which is journaled a roll 11 over wh ch operates a feeding belt 12, this belt serving to advance the sheets of paper to be ruled beneath the pens or other ruling devices.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 27, 1217.

Serial No. 769,192.

The corresponding belt-roll at the opposite extremity of the machine is omitted. Journaled above the belt-roll 11 is a feed-roll 13, contacting with the belt and receiving the sheets one by one to draw them from the usual feeding table. This roll 13, which may be driven from any source of power, has fixed to its shaft a gear let meshing with a gear 14 fast upon the spindle of the roll 11. 1V ith this gear 14 there meshes in turn a large idle gear 15, adjustable in a segmental slot 15 having its axis at the center of the gear 1 1*. The gear 15 drives a smaller gear 16 upon a shaft 17, this shaft carrying a cam-wheel 18, the purpose of which is to be later more particularly described. The shaft 17 also has upon it a pinion 19 meshing with a pinion 20 on a shaft 21 which imparts rotation to a cam 22. Contacting with the surface of the cam 22 is an arm 23 fixed upon a gate 24 mounted to oscillate in bearings upon the frame, and having downwardly projecting teeth which cooperate with the surface of the belt 12. These teeth, upon being raised and lowered by the action of the cam, alternately hold and release the sheets at the proper times, the timing being capable of variation by changing the size of the gear 16 and correspondingly moving the gear 15.

In standards 27, here illustrated as adjacent to the cam-wheel 18, and mounted in any usual or convenient manner, is a penbeam 28 rocking upon spindles 29 turning in supports 29 carried by the standards. Clamped in the beam are ruling pens 30, the points of which may be caused to contact with the'belt and sheets thereon by gravity or otherwise. Extending forwardly from one side of the pen-beam is an arm 31, which I have shown as provided with the wellknown adjusting means 32- by which its angle may be changed, and with a variable stop device 33 controlling the extent of movement of the pens toward the belt. Carried by the forward extremity of the arm 31 is a pen-controlling contact member, the supporting plate 84: of which is secured to the underside of the arm by a bolt 35. This supporting member is beveled to engage a dovetailed way 36 in a slide 37, said slide having a downward projection 38, the rear edge of which is formed in a comparatively sharp angle 39. Fixed to the projection 38 is a screw 40 for altering the normal position of the slide and projection upon the beam-arm, this screw extending through an opening in a lug 42 depending from the forward end of the support. Outside the lug the screw 40 carries a contactaiut 43 and a locknut 44, the position of the former nut determining the normal position of the projection longitudinally of the machine. Surrounding the screw is a spiral spring 45 which acts by its expansion to force the proj ection rearwardly.

Between the pen-controlling projection 38 and the primary actuator or cam, which is shown as a removable plate 46 secured to the edge of the cam-wheel 18 by a screw 47 extending through one of a circumferential series of holes 48 near the edge of the wheel, is a connecting or tripping member, preferably in the form of lever fulcrumed at 50 upon a bracket 51 extending from one side of the frame, and having an arm 49 which is approximately horizontal. The length of this lever is such that its upper forward angular edge 52 will lie beneath the end of the projection 38, the location of this edge 52 being varied with respect to the corresponding edge 39 of the projection by means of the nuts 43 and 44. The lever-arm 49 has a depending portion or arm 53 which contacts with an adjusting screw 54. By changing the projection of this screw from the bracket the height of the lever-arm 49 above the edge of the wheel 18 and its cam-plates may be changed. A spring 55 holds the arm 53 normally in contact with the screw 54, and the arm 49 in a position to be struck and raised by the cam-plates.

In using a ruling machine to which my device is applied, the pens are set in the usual manner and a cam-plate 46 applied to the wheel 18 of such height as to insure the proper lift of the pens and the release of the tripping lever, the circumferential extent of the plate, as will be shown later,

being immaterial. The slide 37 is adjusted by the nut 43 until the projection 38 lies above the edge 52 of the arm 49, as appears in Fig.1 of the drawing. As the cam-plate in its revolution strikes the lever, the end of the latter, moving in the arc of a circle, rises almost vertically and imparts to the arm 31, and therefore to the pens, an ex- I tremely rapid lift. As the rise of the lever continues, the horizontal component of the circular movement carries it to the left, its end slipping under the face of the pro ec- V -tion until it reaches the edge 39 (Fig. 2)

then a slight further travel of the lever in the same direction frees the projection, the edges 39 and 52 abruptly snapping by one another (Fig. 3), tripping the pens so that they are at once returned to contact with the sheet. The pens are now entirely removed from influence with the cam-plate and lever, and the latter continues to be held by its spring in contact with the plate, and then, as this passes from beneath it, the arm 53 is stopped by the screw 54. The fall of the lever past the side of the projection 38 under the tension of the spring 55 is permitted by the yield of the slide against the spring 45 without affecting the pens. lVhen the cam-plate clears the lever the spring 45 returns the slide and projection to their initial position. By altering the relation of the edges 39 and 52 by means of the nut 43, the period of pen-controlling engagement between the lever and projection may be made as brief as desired, yet maintaining an ample lift. That is, the time during which the horizontal component of the circumferential movement acts to carry the edge of the lever past the edge of the projection may be reduced to a minimum, without 'materially changing the vertical component which causes the lifting action. In this way breaks of an eighth of an inch in the ruled lines may readily be made.

It should further be observed that this device, in freeing the pens from the influence of the camwheel after the initial lift, renders the timing of the pen-movement substantially independent ofthe length of the sheets ruled. In a machine in which this movement depends upon the contour of the cam, the period during which the' pens are lifted is dependent upon the length of the sheets, because in decreasing the speed of retation of the cam 22 to release the sheets at longer intervals the diameter of the gear 16 is altered. As this gear also rotates the cam wheel 18, the time of action of the camplates will be increased and the pen-lift thus prolonged. As the longer the sheets the shorter must be the cam-action, because of this decrease inthe speed of rotation of the cam-wheel, the difficulty inmaking short spaces is increased. With the present device, however, the length of time which the tripping member is under the influence of a cam is so insignificant that changes in the gear do not perceptibly affect the'breaks in the lines. 7 V

A peculiar result attained by the use of my tripping device is that two cam-plates of the same extent, both exerting an active effect upon the pens, may be made to actuate said pens for different lifts, if one of the plates is higher than the other. Thus, in

Fig. 1 is illustrated the plate 46 operating as has just been described, and the lower plate 56, the radial projection of which beyond the periphery of the wheel is insutficient to move the edge 52 of the lever 49 past the edge of the controlling projection 38. Consequently this second plate will operate the pens in accordance with its length.

I claim:

1. In a ruling machine, a ruling device movable toward and from the work, actuating means therefor, and a member interposed between the ruling device and actuating means and being movable by the actuating means in the direction of the lift of the ruling device to both raise the ruling device and permit the same to be lowered.

2. In a ruling machine, a ruling device, actuating means therefor, a connecting member interposed between the ruling device and actuating means and being movable in one direction by the actuating means to both raise the ruling device and permit the same to be lowered, and means independent of the actuating means for varying the time of cooperation between the connecting member and ruling device.

In a ruling machine, a ruling device having a contact portion extending downwardly with respect to the ruling device, an actuator, and a member movable by the actuator against the contact portion to raise the ruling device and then upwardly past the contact portion to permit the descent of the ruling device.

A. In a ruling machine, a ruling device having a contact portion movable independently thereof, an actuator, and a member movable by the actuator against and past the contact portion, the contact portion upon the return of the member to normal receiving its movement independently of the ruling device.

5. In a ruling machine, a ruling device having a contact portion yieldably mounted thereon, an actuator, and a connecting member for and between the actuator and contact portion.

0. In a ruling machine, a ruling device, a rotary member for actuating the ruling device, and means operable by the rotary member and being movable from said rotary member to both raise the ruling device and permit the same to be lowered.

7. In a ruling machine, a ruling device, a cam for actuating the ruling device, and a member contacting with the cam and movable therefrom to both raise the ruling device and permit it to be lowered.

S. A tripping device for ruling machines comprising a pen-controlling member, a member movable past the controlling member to trip the pens, a variable stop with which the tripping member contacts upon its return to normal, and means for moving the tripping member.

9. A tripping device for ruling machines comprising a support, a member yielclably mounted on the support and being provided with a projection having an angular edge, a tripping member cooperating with and movable past said edge, and means movable independently of the tripping member for actuating the same.

10. A tripping device for ruling machines comprising a support movable in the operation of the machine, a member movable on the support and being provided with a projectio-n, a tripping member contacting with the projection, a spring moving the projection on the support toward the tripping member, and means for moving the tripping member.

11. A tripping device for ruling machines comprising a support, a member movable on the support and being provided with a projection, a screw extending between the support and movable member, the spring surrounding the screw and cooperating with the support and movable member, and a tripping member contacting with and being movable past the projection.

12. The combination with a pen-beam, of a support carried thereby, a yieldable slide mounted to reciprocate 011 the support, a le-- ver cooperating with the slide, and a cam for actuating the lever.

13. The combination with a pen-beam, of a support carried thereby, a yieldable slide mounted to reciprocate on the support, a lever cooperating with the slide, means for adj usting the normal position of the slide upon the support, and a cam for' actuating the lever.

14. The combination with a pen, of a cam, a lifting connection between the cam and pen, and means for causing the drop of the pen independently of the extent of the cam.

15. The combination with a ruling device, of a member having an actuating surface, means for operatively associating the actuating surface and ruling device, and means for causing movement of the ruling device independently of the extent of the actuating surface.

16. The combination with a pen-beam having a projection, of an actuating cam therefor, and a tripping member contacting with the projection and cam and being movable past the projection.

17. The combination with a penbeam having a projection, of an actuating member therefor, and a lever fulcrumed tobe moved by the actuating member against and past the projection.

18. The combination with a pen-beam having a projection, of an actuating member therefor, a lever fulcrumed to be moved by the actuating member against and past izhe projection, and an adjustable stop for the ever.

19. In a ruling machine, the combination With a ruling device of an actuating member therefor, and means effective in the operation of the machine for causing movement of the ruling device independently of the characteristics of the actuating device.

Signed at Boston in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, day of May 1913.

HARMON E. LINDBLADH.

this 20th Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

